Dinners This Week

Let's be honest ... I am no food photographer.

I have a rather unfancy point-and-shoot camera, and I'm usually in a hurry to eat when I'm snapping a quick photo.

But I was proud of the two dinners I've made so far this week, and I know I always like to get ideas from blogs about what to cook.  It's so easy to get caught in a rut when it comes to preparing meals.  So, please do excuse the mid-level photos, but I hope you like taking a peek at what has been going on in my kitchen recently!

Monday Dinner:
Pesto parmesan tilapia
Sauteed spinach
"Make it up as you go" squash casserole

The tilapia was simple ... just brush with pesto, top with parmesan, and bake at 350* for about 25 minutes.  Very yummy.

Can we agree that "squash casserole" is just about the most unappetizing name for a dish?  How unfortunate.  From now on, I will refer to this dish as a mozzarella-squash bake. 

Anyway, I had one yellow squash and these adorable single-serving crocks that I got from Mom for Christmas. 

All I did was cut the squash into semi-circles, sautee with a tablespoon of butter until brown, and then mix with some olive-oil based mayonnaise, mozzarella cheese, and a small bit of Italian breadcrumbs.  I coated the crocks with a little nonstick spray and added the mixture into each crock.  I then topped with a little extra cheese and broiled until the cheese was melty and just starting to bubble.

We loved this dinner, and Ian asked me to remember everything and please make it again.  :)



Tuesday Dinner:

Grilled portabella mushroom caps

Roasted onions, cherry tomatoes, green olives and prosciutto

Tuesday is my late workout class night.  It ends at 7:45, so I'm not home until 8.  Ian doesn't mind us eating around 8:30 on these nights (especially if I have some nackies -- i.e., snacks -- in the fridge for him, like olives, homemade pickles, and Laughing Cow cheese).  I still try to plan a dinner that cooks relatively quickly.

The portabellas were wonderful.  I brushed the caps with garlic olive oil and he grilled that side first.  Then, he flipped them over and I came outside to top them with pesto, halved kalamata olives, garlic, and mozzarella cheese.  We closed the top and let them finish cooking.  They are like little pizzas, but they are "meaty" enough to be a substantial entree.

Before my cardio class, I went ahead and halved the cherry tomatoes and chopped the vidalia onion.  I added these with the sliced green olives into a bowl and tossed with olive oil.  Once home, I roasted that mixture along with two rosemary sprigs at 425*.  When I had about five minutes left, I added in the strips of prosciutto and finished roasting.  We loved this dish.

And what is better than walking into a house that smells like rosemary?!

Happy cooking!